Music from the perspective of globalization

On behalf of the Rector of the I. J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań and the organizer: the Department of Music Theory, we have the honor and pleasure to invite you to participate in the XI International Conference from the series: MUSICA PRACTICA, MUSICA THEORETICA, on the subject of: Music from the perspective of globalization, which will be held at the Academy on 8-9 April 2014. The conference is a part of Teacher Mobility in LLP/Erasmus program for foreign and Polish guests.

In today’s world, many processes referred to as globalization or globalism are significantly manifested in culture, including music. The phenomenon, ambiguous and undergoing constant transformations, marked by various contexts and diversity, raises disputes and discussions, so it is cognitively intriguing. It seems undeniable to claim that globalization has led to the convergence of the image of the world as a homogeneous whole of interrelated elements, not just economic and political, but also cultural and social.

The globalization of culture is perceived and evaluated by many artists and authors negatively, as a process of threatening the development of local cultures, leading to uniformity, amalgamation or deformation. On the other hand, it emphasizes, among other things, the values of openness to the world, the extension of cultural diversity and the pragmatic function of interpersonal communication in the digital world. It is noteworthy to investigate the homogenization and differentiation processes in the contemporary art of music.

During this conference, we wish to draw your attention to the following sub-themes/areas:
• Globalization in the musical culture, current usage and the scope of the term, the issue of adequacy of the existing terminology to changing cultural reality (e.g. music super-culture or inter-culture, inter-and transnational culture).

• Globalization in the perspective of the music history (political, economic, social and religious aspects of composers’ and musicians’ travels and emigrations; the influence of other cultures on local music output).

• Composers’ output towards music multiculturalism. The analysis and interpretation of a musical work in the context of cultural hybridism.

• Nationality, locality and regionalism towards globalism in a high music culture; eliminating geographical and political boundaries for the sake of a cultural totality; current importance of a national category in music towards identification with the ‘global village’ society; the return to the roots of local cultures, the defense of individual values.

• Reception of a musical work in the light of modern techniques of communication in the media civilization.

These are the questions our conference will raise and, perhaps, it will also produce some answers.

Please note that the conference discussions, as a forum for exchanging ideas of theorists, composers, musicologists from Polish and foreign universities, will be accompanied by concerts devoted to chamber music composers of the twentieth and twenty-first century. The concerts will take place every evening at 7.30 p.m. in our concert hall Aula Nova. All participants of the conference are invited.

The presentation of the paper, together with music samples, should not exceed 20 minutes. The organizers reserve plus 10 minutes for a brief discussion after each lecture. The main language of the conference is English. Each participant is also requested to write an abstract of the paper in English (min. 200 words) and send it to Janina Tatarska (tatarskanina@interia.pl) until the end of February 2014. It will be included in the conference program book.

We do hope you will accept our invitation and that the conference will be a great opportunity for cultural dialogue between our institutions.

The deadline for a proposal submission is December 10, 2013.
More details concerning the conference will be sent later.